Beyond Perception
by Kimirei
Summary: Extra-Sensory Perception, or ESP, has led to the evolution of a new species of humans—ESPers: Humans with ESP. As the world adapts to this new addition, one country faces the imminent danger of its downfall.
1. Perception 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fushigi Yuugi except for those characters that I've come up with myself.  
  
Summary: AU: ESP. Extra-Sensory Perception. This change to the human body has led to the evolution of a new species of humans-ESPers. Humans with ESP. As the world adapts to contain this new addition, one country faces the imminent danger of a complete downfall to its ruling system.  
  
Beyond Perception: Intuition 1  
  
"HOLY SHIT!"  
  
Kou Shun'u stared dumbfounded at the tessen in his hands, not believing the fire that spat out from it was his doing. He shifted his eyes away from the fan-turned-weapon to inspect on the damage he had inflicted on Eiken and his underlings. To his relief, they were still alive, although they now looked nowhere near gangster material, with singed hair, charred clothes, shaken up faces and all.  
  
"Way to go, Genrou! That was some fire! How the hell did you do that?!" Kouji managed to recover himself from shock long enough to knock out his own opponent whom had been just as appalled by the scene as he was, before running to where his flame red-haired best friend was and giving him an approving pat on the back. "I didn't know you knew that chant. Man, that was helluva long one. Can't believe you actually got that in your head! And I thought you really needed some help over here."  
  
Although joking on the surface, deep down inside, Kouji had definitely feared for his dear friend's life when one of Eiken's underdogs had sneaked up behind Shun'u with a dagger just as the red-head managed to wrench the tessen out of Eiken's grip during the brawl. Kouji was about to jump to his buddy's rescue when Shun'u miraculously ejected the flames from the iron fan.  
  
Kouji had met Shun'u two years ago when the latter had just been accepted into his gang as a rookie, brought in personally by the former leader of the Reikaku gang, Hakurou, who had chanced upon him when the then brash youngster was running away from home, claiming that he could no longer stand the women in his family and needed to get out and experience some adventure before he suffocates in the house. Both were initially at loggerheads with each other and constantly trying to prove themselves in front of the chief, but through facing dangers together, eventually became best of friends and even brothers to each other.  
  
"Who'd be so stupid ta crack da head ta memorize a freakin' damn long chant?! The fire juz freakin' shot out by itself!" On the second comment, Shun'u waved the tessen in front of Kouji to reaffirm his point, causing his blue-haired buddy to back slightly away, both hands in front in an attempt to shield himself from any flames that might spout out from the offending object.  
  
"Whoa, easy there, boy. You wouldn't wanna kill your buddy, would you?" The older boy protested, raising up both hands as a sign of peace and silently praying that none of the flames would get to his clothes. His leather jacket was new, after all, and expensive. "Bet you'll cry if you really did that."  
  
"If I had this thing when I joined th'Reikaku gang," Shun'u deliberately waved the implied tessen again in Kouji's direction, this time earning a friendly punch in the head from his buddy. "I would've killed ya there and then. You were such a pain in th'ass." Regaining his composure, he reverted back to his usual fanged, lop-sided grin. "And I don't freakin' cry, ya get dat? Only girls cry. I'll giv'ya 50 dorus if I did."  
  
"Hey, look who's talking. You were the pain in EVERYONE's ass, and I DID save your ass back then." Kouji absently touched the scar that ran vertically down his left cheek, recalling how it came about during one of their missions when he had pushed Shun'u away in the nick of time from being fatally wounded by an attacker's dagger, but not dodging fast enough himself such that he received the full blow of the blade to the left side of his face.  
  
"Aww...C'mon, Kouji...Not again...You've said it millions o' times! And dat was so long ago!"  
  
"Well, you'd better pray that I can find a wife with this scar. Anyway, I'll take your word for the 50 dorus..." Kouji paused briefly and quickly resumed his speech before Shun'u could take back whatever he had unintentionally blurted out. "We'll save the rest to talk about later. Besides, we've still got some things to settle here." Kouji nodded his head slightly to the right to indicate the burnt yet alive pile that was Eiken and gang.  
  
Shun'u's attention was momentarily shifted to the people whom they had been fighting not long ago, much to Kouji's prediction and relief. Being two years older than Shun'u, and having gained more experience as a hoodlum in the Reikaku gang, Kouji was more matured and sensitive to people around him, analyzing any situation before taking action-a trait totally opposite from his younger and reckless counterpart.  
  
Of course, he knows Shun'u's deep sense of loyalty to his friends, and that he will definitely honor his word on anything he promises, including the 50 dorus. Despite occasionally taking advantage of the younger Shun'u, Kouji, being the older the more sensible of the two, takes it upon himself to watch out for the less sensitive and impulsive teenager whom he has come to think of as a younger brother. As one of Shun'u's closest friends, Kouji affectionately calls Shun'u 'Genrou', a nickname which had been given to him by Hakurou due to his physical swiftness and speed that resembles that of a phantom wolf when such agility is put into action.  
  
"So I see dat you're now da boss eh?" Shun'u drawled lazily, casually lifting up the tessen that was in his right hand to drape it on his right shoulder, at the same time still maintaining a firm grip on the object. "Guess it must'a been Hakurou's good ol' tessen dat got'cha this bunch of lackeys."  
  
"Gimme back my tessen! You brats have no right to the Reikaku leader's property!" Eiken growled as he struggled to push off an unconscious subordinate that was lying on top of him, attempting to stand up.  
  
"Oh really? And how do I suppose you're fit to be leader when you're trying to take advantage of an innocent lady in a back alley?" Kouji questioned, referring to Eiken's earlier insolent act that could have well ruined a young woman's whole future ahead of her if not for the timely intervention of Shun'u and Kouji, they themselves taking one of the many short-cuts they knew as ex-Reikaku outlaws to get to school. Fortunately, the girl had managed to flee safely out of the alley, too traumatized to even thank the two heroes who had rescued her, which was just as well since she might be even more distressed by Shun'u's sudden outburst of flaming energy. "Anyway, if I remember correctly, the Reikaku gang only robs the rich for the poor, not hanky-panky'ing around with girls young enough to be your daughter."  
  
"It's none of your business any more! You both jolly well know that only the leader holds the secret chant to the tessen. If I weren't the leader, how else would I have been able to use the tessen?" Eiken grinned maliciously, obviously knowing that he had secretly learnt the chant when he had eavesdropped on Hakurou, then dying of illness but yet practically forcing Kouji and Shun'u to memorize the long incantation in preparation for either of them to be the next Reikaku gang leader, but ultimately to no avail.  
  
"Yeah, and how do you suppose that Genrou was able to use the tessen, and WITHOUT chanting anything?" Kouji rebutted, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the alley wall.  
  
"Wha-...Oh...uh...yeah. How'd ya think I managed to pull dat off eh?" Shun'u triumphantly held up the tessen, proudly displaying another one of his fanged grins. At the back of his head, a sweatdrop appeared, as deep within he was quite certain that the trick that he pulled off was purely by accident and that it would not happen a second time. [[Kouji, wat the freakin' hell ya think you're tryin' ta show?!]]  
  
Kouji, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain a cool disposition as he battled the million and one thoughts that were swimming in his head. [[If Genrou's what I think he is, he should be able to do that trick again and we can just run and get out of here. If it's just the tessen, Suzaku save us.]]  
  
He contemplated the possible options, at the same time observing Shun'u spouting more colorful language and madly flailing the tessen at the fallen group. If Shun'u is able to activate the flames again, scorching Eiken one more time would not only NOT hurt, but also enjoyable to watch, and taking off from the scene would not hurt them both one bit. However, if the flames were only due to the magic of the tessen, the probability of the trick happening again would be one in trillion, and this could well land them in trouble.  
  
True, they now have the upper hand in terms of physical ability, but Eiken is no fool. With the Reikaku gang now under his control, hordes of his minions can appear within minutes simply with a few punches of his cellular phone, and things can get too tricky for the two teenagers' liking. And PRECISELY because Eiken is no fool, Kouji is worried that their façade might be discovered and unable to sustain any longer.  
  
He was about to suggest knocking them out cold while they were still on the ground, when his thoughts were rudely interrupted by Eiken's hollering.  
  
"You think you can fool me? Nobody can use that tessen but only ME! Blame yourselves if you can't remember the chant, you dimwits!" Eiken was pointing to himself to emphasize his point, all the while yelling with such force that Kouji and Shun'u could practically see saliva shooting out of his mouth. "Now gimme back the tessen! Or else..." His lips curled up into a malicious smile, revealing yellowish crooked teeth that gave away evidence of compulsive smoking. "...you'll be very sorry if you didn't."  
  
Dark silhouettes began appearing from every possible nook and cranny in front and behind Kouji and Shun'u, slowly emerging from the shadows to reveal more hooligans like Eiken as they converged to surround the duo, confirming Kouji's worst fears. [[Shimatta...seems like the damn old man's fingers are faster...]]  
  
"Chikusho..."  
  
Kouji turned his head to his partner where the cursing originated from, all the while keeping a careful eye on the mob that was slowly forming in front of them. [[Here we go...]] "Genrou, try the tessen again."  
  
Shun'u had also contemplated this option earlier on, and while he was very tempted to test it a second time, he knew better than to pull such a trick at that time without consideration, and a risky one at that. Now is the chance to do it. He smirked, right arm raised with the tessen in preparation to flame anything in front of him.  
  
Seeing Shun'u's gesture of attack, the thugs paused hesitantly in their footsteps. "Wait! You're not really gonna...!" Eiken's voice was cut off by Shun'u's own as the latter brought down the tessen in one quick swing, pointing towards the direction of the majority party.  
  
"All right, ya assholes! Take this!"  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Kouji mentally slapped his forehead. [[Shit...now we're dead meat.]]  
  
"Take this! Take this! Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" Shun'u flapped the inert fan repeatedly as he struggled to recall the incantation that their previous leader had taught them.  
  
On seeing that the duo had failed in using the tessen, Eiken sniggered and emerged from his hiding position behind two of his followers, all traces of fear erased from his podgy, freckled face. "So...I see that you didn't succeed. And I told you pathetic fools that you'll be very sorry if you didn't return me my fan." With this, he waved an index finger forward, gesturing for his gang to take action.  
  
Kouji placed a foot forward, his arms fisted and held in front of his chest as he crouched slightly lower and forward in a battle stance in preparation for the impending fight, intense eyes alertly scanning anything within his vision of sight. Although the advantage now strongly favored the opposite party, the two teenagers were still fit enough to put up a good fight, save for the few scratches they had gotten from the earlier scuffle. And fighting is now the only option they are left with, given the fact that they were being surrounded from all directions. "Nee, Genrou. Guess we'll be busy for quite a while here, don't you think?"  
  
"Yeah, why not? I can't wait ta kick more freakin' asses." Shun'u flashed another fanged grin as he took off his denim jacket to allow better movement, revealing well-toned physique beneath a loose black singlet. He moved slowly to stand back-to-back against Kouji, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the posse lest they suddenly attack.  
  
Shun'u had long put away the tessen, tucking it securely between his waistbelt and jeans like a makeshift holder at his back. Throwing the tessen away, he concluded, would be the most stupid thing to do, since it is highly possible that Eiken would grab it back when they were too busy to notice during the fight. And besides, it was after all a prized possession and treasured memento of the late chief whom he greatly respected. Like Kouji, he also took on a battle stance, sharp golden-brown eyes staring menacingly ahead and more ready than ever to pounce on his prey. "Let's get this freakin' over an' done with."  
  
Angry cries rang out from both parties as the two best friends charged at the same instant the gang stampeded forward, each side advancing in opposite directions. Kouji swiftly dodged a punch and returned one to its rightful owner, at the same time planting the other fist into a stray abdomen. As another attacked his legs in an attempt to trip him down, he jumped and arched backwards high-jump style to land on his hands with ease, using them to support his entire body weight as he whirled 360 degrees, legs spreading to increase attack area as he kicked down more than one opponent.  
  
Shun'u's fighting skills rivaled Kouji's, if not even slightly better, himself having been blessed with uncanny speed and agility ever since the day he knew how to walk and run. From the beginning, he did not even give his enemies a chance to strike as he nimbly wound his way around like a whirlwind, hurling punches and kicks so fast and precise that it would need to take his opponents to regain consciousness before they even realize they had been hit. He speedily ran up the alley wall, but only scaling up till half its height before propelling himself away and turning to kick his attackers in one big swerve, bringing down a few men in the process.  
  
Both teenagers were doing well in fending off their opponenets, but it was evident that their stamina, despite being better than most, was wavering and could not hold out any longer against the large number of ruffians. As Kouji was blocking another attack and retaliating back with more blows, he failed to notice one of them approach from behind, knife in hand as he thrust the sharp blade forward and straight for Kouji's lower back.  
  
"KOUJI, LOOK OUT!" Shun'u yelled, realizing the scene before him when he momentarily turned to check on his partner amidst the fighting.  
  
Kouji heard Shun'u's warning, but could not turn in time to avoid the attack. Just as the pointed tip of the blade was a mere few centimeters away from his skin, it was suddenly deflected away by the timely intervention of an arrow, or rather, ice that was shaped perfectly in the form of an arrow, itself deflecting away at contact with the knife and shattering to ice pieces as it hit the ground.  
  
It took the attacker moments to comprehend his failed attempt at his victim's life, but that was enough to allow Kouji to seize and twist the armed hand, causing him to cry in pain and loosen his grip on the weapon, before knocking him out cold with a cutting blow to the side of his neck.  
  
"Hey thanks, Chamka! I owe you one!" Kouji briefly smiled up at his savior balancing steadily on top of one of the alley walls, before resuming taking down more attackers, making sure that this time he will not easily leave any more openings for such attacks.  
  
"Chamka! Man, ya came at da right time! Get your freakin' butt down here, we need some help!" Shun'u shouted at the boy, inwardly relieved that his best friend was safe from harm as he continued with the fight.  
  
"Sorry, but I'll stay up here. It's easier attacking from above." Chamka grinned, his short-sleeved checkered shirt flapping about slightly with the wind, tanned skin made seemingly darker with the setting sun behind him. His short black hair was partially covered by a blue cap that he wore in the reverse direction, fringe falling across his forehead to end just above sharp, perfect-vision eyes. A cylindrical container filled with wooden arrows stood out prominently from behind his back, secured to his body via a strap buckled over his right shoulder and across his chest. His right hand held a long bow for shooting his arrows while his left rested on his hip. "Besides, I've brought other people to help."  
  
"Yeah, and you should be thankful that Chamka-kun brought ME of all people to help you guys." A slightly rougher but confident voice spoke up from one area of the alley. In a few seconds, the source of the voice reappeared at a different location, this time settling next to where Chamka was standing. "You would've been dead if I hadn't helped him teleport here."  
  
Kouji and Shun'u looked just in time to see a slightly older teenager manifest himself out of nowhere to stand beside Chamka, one arm resting on the younger lad's shoulder. On each ear hung a large gold ring, and probably the only accessory that could be found on his body. His silvery white hair, like Shun'u's own flaming-red, is the first thing that would catch anybody's eye, probably due to his particularly tanned skin that is even darker than Chamka's. His skin contrasted even more against his white hooded long-sleeved pullover and loose white pants as he smirked down at the duo, short silver-white hair flying in the wind and hawk-like eyes curiously assessing the both of them.  
  
"Lanva, you sure know how to flatter yourself." Chamka laughed lightly, nudging the older one next to him, before turning serious. "But thanks, really. I wouldn't have known what to do if we hadn't gotten here sooner."  
  
"Damn you ESPers!" Eiken spat loudly, his already ugly face even more contorted with anger. ESPers. Individuals gifted with ESP, or some say supernatural. Individuals with unique abilities that a normal average person like Eiken cannot perform. And individuals whom Eiken wished not to appear at such time. Earlier, he had been standing cowardly in a corner watching the fight, confident that the teenage duo would soon be subdued. But now with the arrival of two ESPers, things are definitely turning against his favor. He turned to a bunch of his underlings who had just regained consciousness. "You idiots go get the two up there!"  
  
Eiken's subordinates, although fearful of what the ESPers might be capable of doing, obeyed their chief's orders lest he got the tessen back to later find themselves under the flame's torture. Hahm Lanva raised an eyebrow at the group rushing towards him and Chamka. "I see we've got some opponents for ourselves as well."  
  
Chamka held up his bow, taking aim. "Just as well. I need some targets to test my arrows on anyway." As he pulled on the bowstring with his index and middle finger, an ice arrow immediately took form between both fingers before he fired into the crowd, hitting spot on at a target in the leg, causing his victim to fall and scream in pain. Without hesitation, he created another ice arrow before expertly sending it into another's shoulder.  
  
Lanva had disappeared from where he was standing, but not long before reappearing amongst the group of hooligans, his large golden earrings now much enlarged weapons in his hands, their outer diameter having turned into sharp bladed edges as he skillfully weaved his way among them through teleportation and taking them down one by one, taking care not to kill any in the process.  
  
Appalled by the rate at which the number of his men is dwindling fast, Eiken took to his heels away from the fight, abandoning his subordinates and even the tessen, his main concern now being not to get caught. And especially with that white-haired boy around, escaping would prove to be even more difficult if he stayed any longer, as he looked back to make sure that particular ESPer was still kept occupied.  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
Eiken gasped and stumbled as he halted, turning his head back to see Lanva up ahead, the latter's arms crossed in front of his chest, and two discs in one hand. A cocky grin was plastered to his face.  
  
Eiken had to use his last resort. "You leave me no choice," he grunted as he reached for the pistol hidden in the inner pocket of his coat. Before he could take proper aim at the front, it was instantly knocked off his hand by a gold disc. Lanva appeared next to Eiken to reclaim the disc before it touches the ground and promptly placed it next to the gang leader's neck, its sharp blade threatening to slice skin upon the slightest movement.  
  
"I can see that you're gonna get into a lot of trouble with that thing," Lanva said nonchalantly, indicating the pistol.  
  
Realizing that their leader had been caught and having decided the futility of staying back, the band of ruffians ceased all fighting and started dispersing in all directions, fleeing from the scene.  
  
"You idiots! Come back here!" Eiken shouted in vain for his followers to get him out of the mess that he had landed himself in, not that their staying back would help much anyway.  
  
"Save your voice for later, old man. You might need it to defend yourself later at the station," Chamka jumped down the wall before landing gracefully next to Kouji, who made no move to stop the fleeing group except maintaining a firm grip on the now unconscious teenager who earlier attacked him with the knife.  
  
"Hey, da rest are gettin' away!" Shun'u grabbed a frightened yob by the collar as the latter pleaded repeatedly to let him go.  
  
"Don't bother about them. They can't do much harm without the boss. If they're wise enough, they should know better than to mess around again." Lanva wore back his earrings, which had shrunk to their original sizes, and took out a pair of hand-cuffs with which he secured around a reluctant Eiken's hands by the back. "Besides, he's who we're after for the moment. Had his fun long enough. Thanks." He said gratefully as Kouji brought his unconscious attacker to him before helping him haul the boy onto his shoulder.  
  
Shun'u unwillingly let go of his victim, giving him a warning in the process, not to mention adding a few words of foul language into his speech. Kouji sighed and shook his head before turning to Chamka. "Hey kid, I haven't thanked you properly for knocking that knife off, so... thanks." He said, putting an arm around the younger boy and drilling a fist playfully into his head, which Chamka desperately protested.  
  
Lanva looked at the trio with amusement before continuing. "Well, guess I'd better report these two back to headquarters. This boy's better off with some counseling as well." He continued, indicating the one on his shoulder, who looked no more than fourteen years old. "Too young to know the consequences. Chamka, looks as if you know these two, so I'll leave you here to explain the rest. Jaa ne."  
  
The three of them watched the white-haired boy give a wink and casually salute them with a flick of an index finger before disappearing into thin air, bringing the two with him.  
  
There was a brief moment of silence when Shun'u spoke up. "Who's dat fella, Chamka? He looks freakin' strong." He said, pointing at the location where Lanva last performed his vanishing act.  
  
"Yeah, he definitely is an ESPer. Is he in the police academy like you are?" Kouji inquired.  
  
"Yup, he's also a cadet there, but more senior in rank than me. In fact, he's my assigned mentor, apart from training another fellow junior cadet." Chamka replied matter-of-factly. "He's here on another assignment. We've got news that a lady reported a fight here, so Lanva-san was dispatched to check it out. I tagged along 'cuz I wanted to try out my ice arrows." He held out his bow proudly.  
  
Chamka came from a nomadic tribal family, traveling as licensed hunters for a living in jungles all around the world before his family finally settled down as Shun'u's neighbours, taking up decent jobs after pleasantly discovering that he was an ESPer. His ESP ability was first triggered when he, having run out of wooden arrows during a hunting trip in the jungle outskirts, had unwittingly created and shot his first ice arrow in a desperate bid to save his father from being mauled to death by a grizzly bear.  
  
That happened a year after Kouji and Shun'u left the Reikaku gang and went back to school on a more regular basis (both still occasionally played truant, though), themselves having nothing else better to do, and also partly by order of Shun'u's mother. Not that Shun'u minded anyway, so long as he could stay out of the house as much as he could. Nevertheless, both families got along well, and Chamka consequently became fast friends with the other two teenagers, but not without some initial hiccups, thanks to Shun'u's smart mouth and slightly arrogant behavior.  
  
"So, I see that you've mastered it to perfection, huh?" Kouji raised an eyebrow, smiling approvingly at the grinning boy. "Good for you, bro. Having an ESPer friend sometimes comes in handy, I guess."  
  
The sixteen-year-old smiled sheepishly. "Nah, I've only perfected it a few days ago. Normally out of 10 arrows, I could only create six on average. In fact, that shot just now was my first ever since the day I mastered it, eh heh."  
  
"Man, dat was a cool one, Chamka! Don't think I can ever see dat again. Next time when yer on another mission, tell me ya hear?! Let's go an' celebrate our victory at Pubber's Tavern! I'm cravin' for beer now!" Shun'u gave Chamka a solid pat on the back which made the poor boy cough a little, while Kouji stood behind them with a large sweatdrop on his head and muttering something about thanking Suzaku for blessing Chamka with that precious shoot, be it first or last.  
  
"Well, if it weren't for the rules, I would've shown you more," Chamka explained, indicating the one common law regulation that all ESPers have to abide by regardless of age, gender, race or religion-Strictly no display of any ESPer ability outside ESPer premises, unless authorized. "And go away, Genrou. You know I don't drink."  
  
"Hmm.there's something I can't quite figure out," Kouji mused, finally regaining strength in his voice. "If you can now create 10 arrows out of 10, then why are you still carrying that thing?" He pointed at the cylindrical container of wooden arrows behind Chamka's back.  
  
"Oh, that. Eh heh heh...bad habit. Guess I still can't get used to going around without them," Chamka scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Besides, just in case I can't create any ice ones, you can always count on these whenever you're on an assignment."  
  
"Anyway, I guess that lady DID thank us by way of calling the cops. In any case, she managed to save us indirectly by sending you and what's-his- name...Oh, Lanva here." Kouji pondered, trying to recall the white-haired teenager's name when Chamka reminded him.  
  
"Feh! We wouldn't freakin' know if it's da same onna. Anyway, we wouldn't be in deep shit if this thing did spit fire when I tried again," Shun'u held out the tessen from behind his back, thrusting it in front of Chamka's face.  
  
"Hey, don't do that!" Chamka instinctively backed away, slightly surprised and annoyed. Actually, Lanva and I weren't here only for the gang leader."  
  
Shun'u blinked, obviously unaware of the purpose. "Huh? Then wat else're ya here for?"  
  
"Hmm. just as I guessed," Kouji stated as Chamka walked away from Shun'u, stopping a distance away before turning around to face him, bow in hand and ice arrow drawn before shooting at his intended red-haired target.  
  
Shocked but still alert, Shun'u skillfully dodged the arrow, but not long before finding the next one coming after him. "Oy, what da fuckin' hell are you doing?! Ya outta yer mind?!"  
  
"Use the tessen, Genrou," Kouji yawned.  
  
"I can't use it, godammit! This thing ain't spitting out nothin' an' ya saw it!"  
  
Chamka continued directing his shots at Shun'u, taking care to avoid any vital points on his body. "Hey, Genrou! Guess you're not as strong as I thought. I guess Kouji should be better!" With that, he directed his aim at Kouji, who stood unmoving and nonchalant, and fired. He inwardly frowned. [[Kouji, you'd better be able to dodge if Genrou can't save you.]]  
  
Kouji also had his worries. After having escaped death once, he wouldn't want to face it again a second time, let alone in the same day. [[Genrou, you'd better be able to do it.]] He braced himself for the dodge if Shun'u still couldn't activate the flames from the iron fan.  
  
"KUSO------!!!"  
  
Flames erupted from the tessen and instantly melted the ice arrow just inches away from Kouji's shoulder. Kouji and Chamka both heaved a sigh of relief while Shun'u slumped to the ground exhausted, staring stupidly at the fan in his hands.  
  
He looked up at the both of them. "I...ain't said nothin'..." he stuttered. "Juz like da first time...fuckin' nothin'...an' I thought I was lucky when it fired..."  
  
"You're an ESPer, you dense baka," Kouji finally declared, having concluded that Shun'u's head was too thick to realize it himself.  
  
"My, my, you really need someone to tell you straight in the face, don't you? But at least it's confirmed that you're the one we're looking for. We received a signal from the headquarters that directed us to your location."  
  
"The headquarters? Signal?" Kouji wondered. "But how?"  
  
"It's their ESP sensor," Chamka paused before continuing. It detects any ESP movements anywhere, so that new ESPers can be located easily and quickly. Same for those who misuse their abilities. I thought it was one of those goons earlier, but none of them retaliated with anything near ESP level when we attacked. And boy, am I glad that it's not Eiken either. So that leaves the both of you, and when Shun'u mentioned the fan, well..."  
  
"Yeah, an' when I mentioned da tessen, ya had ta fuckin' shoot my butt...an' ya even tried ta kill Kouji!" Shun'u hollered.  
  
"Hey, watch your mouth! I didn't try to kill Kouji, and I made sure I avoided all the critical areas! And I HAD to confirm that it was YOU who's the ESPer! Chamka rebutted, trying to defend himself and at the same time insulted by Shun'u's accusations.  
  
Before the two could enter into another one of their many arguments, Kouji being the mediator as always, tried to divert the subject. "Maa maa, cool down you two. So our Genrou here has ESP, but seems like it doesn't always work, does it?" He chuckled. "What say you, Chamka?"  
  
"Well, obviously Mr. Dense Baka here," Chamka explained, ignoring the threatening glare and an 'Oy!' from Shun'u, "has ESP in fire-manipulation, but only through a certain medium from what I can see. And it's quite common for ESP to not always work in the beginning, especially when you've just become an ESPer only a few hours ago."  
  
"Juz go straight ta da point, will ya? Why be an ESPer when I can't shoot fire anytime I want?!" Shun'u exclaimed, his earlier thrill of having an ESP ability now killed by Chamka's statement. "An' I thought things're gettin' fun here."  
  
"Dig your ears, ahou." Chamka chided as he crossed his arms. "I said it doesn't always work IN THE BEGINNING. This happened to me as well when I first discovered my ability, and until now it's taken me almost a year before I finally perfected it a few days ago."  
  
"A YEAR?!?! WHAT THE F-Mmph....!"  
  
Kouji immediately silenced Shun'u by cupping a hand over his mouth, before turning to Chamka. "I realized I've never asked you before, but I've always been wondering...how do you ESPers generate your abilities?"  
  
"Well actually, each and every human being is born with ESP. It's just that most of the time it remains hidden and undiscovered even until death. I only learnt about this after entering Konan Gakkou." The young archer answered as he relished watching Shun'u turning purple from suffocation when Kouji forgot to let go of his hand.  
  
"It's like having the right key for the lock. And mental aptitude and ESP propensity, apart from other things, are a few important factors to releasing such ability." Chamka thought for a moment. "Hmm...but seeing this dense baka having such ability, I'm beginning to doubt its logic. Hey Genrou, get your butt off the ground. I gotta report you back to TESPO."  
  
Kimirei's Comments:  
  
Okay, just want to add some comments to the story. Some of the information of this story is taken from the FY Gaiden series, mainly Genrou Den, since that's the only one that I read. You can find the translations for Genrou Den and other Gaidens at Tasuki No Miko's Translation Collection at . I really applaud her for her superb translation and her efforts. Also, this story was inspired by another anime series called E's Otherwise. Other than the ESPer idea, I've not taken anything from the series.  
  
You'll also notice this phrase "Maha Maha Rekka Shinen!" that Shun'u was blabbering about earlier. The actual incantation was supposed to be "Mahariku, Maharita, yamubara, ya ya ya, Rekka Shinen", the spell that actually activates the fire from the tessen. Again, I got this info from Genrou Den. Do check it out if you want to know more.  
  
Lastly, this story is also based on extensive internet research on FY, especially on the Genbu and Byakko characters and their seishi abilities, and there're many homepages that I've visited but too many for me to list as credit acknowledgements. Really sorry about that. Also, I have no clue as to whether the seishis' real names/ages/abilities are totally accurate, so if you think I've taken something which you've uniquely come up with, please inform me so that I can put you under my acknowledgements. If you're really pissed off about me taking your idea, inform me and I'll take it down immediately, even if it means changing the whole storyline.  
  
Last of the lastest, since italics can't seem to be shown on fanfiction.net, I'll have to settle the character's thoughts with [[blabber]]. Just note that. Okay, on with the next chapter. 


	2. Perception 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fushigi Yuugi except for those characters that I've come up with myself.  
  
Beyond Perception: Intuition 2  
  
Taikyoku ESPer Organization, or TESPO for short, is the main ESPer organization of the country located right smack in the middle of the four states: Hokkan in the North, Konan in the South, Kutou in the East, and Sairou in the West. Being the focal association of all ESPers in the country, it oversees the operations of its four institutions: Hokkan, Konan, Kutou, and Sairou ESPer State Institutions in their respective states, which in turn cater to ESPers living in those areas.  
  
It is legally mandated that ESPers, at the first sign of their ESP ability, are to register themselves at TESPO or one of the institutions, whichever nearest, within the next 24 hours. The first signs of ESP usually occur between the ages of seven to 12 years, but in other cases like Shun'u's and Chamka's, such abilities will not show until much later, but not after 21 years of age, where chances of showing any first indication of ESP are slim. Even rarer are the occurrences of ESP display at birth, it being that propensity and aptitude to ESP is too insufficient and undeveloped at such infant stage.  
  
"Sugoi..."  
  
Shun'u was completely awed by the immensity of Konan ESPer Institution as he stood at the gates gaping at it, itself resembling that of a mini university campus. Before discovering his ESP ability, he never bothered visiting its premises even though certain areas were open to public, instead busying himself with Reikaku gang activities, Kouji and booze. And even after quitting the gang and getting acquainted with Chamka, he never did make an effort to pop in for a peek or two, claiming it to be "simply a freakin' waste o' time fer non-ESPers like us", to quote him.  
  
"Are you regretting now about never coming to this place before?" Chamka raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the red-haired teenager. "Bet you'll have a hard time figuring your way around for a while."  
  
"SUGOI!" Shun'u exclaimed, ignoring all of Chamka's earlier comment. "I'm finally gettin' some freedom from home! Ya won't believe how choked up I am in dat house. Imagine five freakin' onnas at yer neck every second!" He cheered and thanked the institution for not only providing compulsory hostel lodging to ESPer students, but also limiting them within the institution on weekdays, allowing them to go back home only during the weekends-another nationally-imposed restriction to prevent young ESPers from recklessly abusing their abilities in public. While many viewed such a restriction as a minus point, Shun'u happily welcomed it.  
  
Chamka sighed, resigned to the fact that he has an utterly tactless, loud- and foul-mouthed teenager as his friend. "I pity your family for having such an unfilial son. But come to think of it, it's a bit tough living together with five...um...interesting...women." He gulped as he recalled seeing Shun'u either being squashed breathless with his mother's hugs or bludgeoned to near-death by his four sisters' friendly punches every time he dropped by next door. Just a few hours ago, he and Kouji had accompanied Shun'u back home to announce to his family his new-found ESPer status, only to find their poor friend being surrounded by five excited women, each giving him their usual 'affection', this time an experience five-fold from usual that Shun'u would never ever forget. "Let's go."  
  
Both of them proceeded past the gates towards the three-storey building right in front, the "Administration" letters laid out in bold prominently. The architecture of the building itself was simple yet professional, its whole exterior almost totally made of glass. As they passed through the auto door, Shun'u noticed a row of counters catering to a wide variety of services including 'General', 'Student Affairs', 'Finance', and of course, 'Admissions'. They pressed the ticket machine button for a number before settling down on one of the seats to wait for their turn to be called.  
  
As Shun'u fidgeted restlessly on his seat, he observed the interior surroundings to while away a little time. Since that day fell on a weekend, it was no wonder that the place was a little crowded, but not many to the extent that people had to stand due to unavailable seats. He noted the majority of them streaming to the Information counter, while most of those his age or younger headed for the one labeled 'Student Affairs'. [[So those must be ESPers]], he thought as he casually observed one particular violet- head girl get up and stroll towards the counter when a new number flashed on the wall's digital screen.  
  
Unable to stay in one place for long without doing anything, Shun'u stood up to walk around. He parked himself in front of the campus map mounted on a part of one glass wall, locating the 'YOU ARE HERE' marking on an octagonal shape that he presumed belonged to that of the building he was presently standing in. Behind the octagon on its immediate right were two large squares, linked to each other by a slightly smaller circle, with the words 'CLASSROOM BLOCK' in bold and pasted neatly next to the combined form.  
  
Directly behind this two-squares-one-circle combination, another structure named "HALLS OF RESIDENCE" was represented by the shape of a cross no smaller than the classroom block. [[So this is where I should be staying]], Shun'u wondered as his eyes drifted over to the right side of the map. On the octagon's immediate left were two other structures-a rectangular-shaped edifice labeled 'FACILITIES LODGE' and behind it a circular building known as 'TRAINING CENTRE'. All geographical information of the institution was listed out in detail on the map, from building name down to the smallest washroom location.  
  
"Big, huh?" A female voice interrupted Shun'u's self-help geography lesson.  
  
He turned around to find a girl his age, or slightly younger, standing next to him with one hand on her hip as she browsed the map lazily. If Shun'u's hair was a brilliant flame-red, hers was a dull burgundy with dyed streaks of yellow, and long enough to be twirled and secured together with a hair stick at the back of her head. Her blood-red eyes strikingly contrasted with the fairness of her skin, and the white tank top, loose khaki brown pants and sneakers did nothing but bring out the smallness of her frame. She was clean of all accessories, save for the simple red ruby pendant stringed by a white-gold chain hanging around her neck. Completing the image was a bubble gum in her mouth that she constantly chewed and blew, irritating Shun'u to no end.  
  
"Yeah, it's big alright. An' who're you? Another ESPer?" he asked, realizing that Chamka was already by his side, annoyed that he had strayed off while he himself was keeping an eye on the call-number.  
  
The girl grinned and extended a hand. "Han Kairu. I'm a new ESPer as of today, and I've just finished my registration to confirm it. Yoroshiku ne."  
  
"Oh, so you're the other newbie who's been found today. By the way, I'm Chamka, and this is Shun'u. He's also a newcomer here, so probably you can look out for each other in future," Chamka said as he took her hand in a handshake.  
  
Kairu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? No wonder he's looking at the map as if he wants to eat it all up. Hasn't he visited this place before?" She commented as she turned to Shun'u. "At the very least you should have visited those places that are open to the public. Wouldn't you be interested in seeing some of the ESP abilities around here?"  
  
"It's none of yer damn business, onna. An' quit it, Chamka. I can look out for myself. I ain't need anybody ta watch my ass fer me, an' I definitely ain't need anybody telling me ta watch out fer some other's ass." Shun'u spat, slightly insulted by Kairu's earlier remark.  
  
"Who needs to watch out for an ass like yours when your mouth already stinks enough to drive people away? And I definitely don't need anybody to watch out for MY ass, especially from guys like you. Who knows what dirty intentions you might be harboring," Kairu retorted, disgusted by Shun'u's more than unique language. "And don't you come begging me to bring you around if you're lost."  
  
"I'd rather die than kiss your fuckin' ass! I don't need an onna- mmrrph...!!" Shun'u was about to snap back further when Chamka covered a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Don't mind this baka. He sometimes speaks without using his brains. It's nice knowing you. Hope to see you around." Chamka smiled apologetically, noting the unwanted attention they were getting from the other people in the waiting area. Fortunately, Shun'u's turn for registration came, which Chamka gratefully dragged his friend to the counter. "Oy, cut it out! I won't be going through the registration with you so wise up a bit!"  
  
Shun'u reluctantly complied, giving Kairu (who stuck out her tongue at him before leaving the area) one last glare and turning to face the counter officer, "So how'm I s'posed to register?"  
  
The bronze-haired counter officer in front of them looked them over coolly, obviously unperturbed by the slight ruckus earlier. A piece of paper manifested on her extended right hand. "Fill in your particulars on this registration form first, then I'll guide you through," she said as coolly as she looked, a woman no younger than 25 years old. She held out her hand again, upon which a pen also appeared out of the blue, before handing it over to Shun'u.  
  
"Is everybody working here an ESPer too??" Shun'u whispered to Chamka as he filled in his particulars, feeling a little intimidated by the lady ESPer in front of him.  
  
"Not every employee is, since the population of us ESPers is so small. In fact, today has one of the highest number of new ESPer registrations, with only you and that girl whom you quarreled with just now," the counter officer called Hon Shinran, as reflected on her name tag, interrupted, mildly shocking her two customers as she continued. "The average is usually one new ESPer in a month, or even longer. So nobody mans this counter on normal days, unless there's report of a new ESPer. And that's why I'm here today to assist you."  
  
Chamka, having recovered from his minor shock, agreed. "Yeah, Hon-san will be guiding you through the registration. I'm not allowed to accompany you, and anyway I've gotta go back to the academy... running late. So see you later and happy exploring!" He gave a brief wave before rushing off.  
  
"Yeah, jaa." Shun'u muttered as he proceeded to finish up with the last section of the form, pasting a passport-sized photo of himself on the upper right hand corner as required before handing it back to Shinran, who looked slightly amused but did not comment when she took a brief glance at it.  
  
"Okay, come with me," she said, the paper in her hand disappearing into thin air as she walked out of the counter.  
  
[[No wonder there ain't anybody at dat counter earlier... Must've brought dat Han-whatever onna for registration]], Shun'u thought to himself as he followed Shinran out of the administration building, the counter officer's object-disappearing acts giving him the creeps.  
  
As they walked towards the buildings behind the administration block, Shun'u recognized the rectangular building on his right as the Facilities Lodge, which they did not enter, but head straight for the circular, on rather in three-dimensional view, two-storey cylindrical one behind it-the Training Centre. As they approached the main door of the centre, Shinran willed a card to appear in her hand before holding it up against the sensor located beside the door, a beep sounding instantaneously to indicate granted access.  
  
What Shun'u saw inside took him by surprise. The building was simply like a coliseum or circular sports stadium, except that the spectator seats were replaced by rooms lining the two storeys and conjoint to one another by corridors, aligned such that they occupy only the circular perimeter of the whole building. The inner circle that was supposed to be the gladiator arena or track-and-field area was exposed to natural sunlight, which streamed in through a rooftop made of thick glass and steel beam structure. The area was void of any training equipment, and instead of cemented ground, Shun'u saw grass.  
  
Much as the architectural peculiarity fascinated him, Shun'u was more interested in the ten or so people on the grass patch, grouped in pairs of mainly a child-adult combination, and it did not take him long to realize that the older one was the mentor. One child was concentrating intently on hearing his mentor who was standing from a distance, the latter's mouth moving as if talking, but without any sound whatsoever.  
  
Another adult stood beside a little girl no older than nine, gently giving her advice and encouragement as the girl held a glass of water in one hand, eyes focusing hard on the object. Within seconds, bubbles appeared in the water within the glass and increased to a boil before quickly dying down when the little girl stopped abruptly and panted heavily, slightly exhausted from over-exercising her ESP.  
  
Shinran took an expectant sideways glance at Shun'u before explaining, "What you're seeing now are the newer ESPers having their training routines, and since new ESPers have unstable ESP in the beginning, they usually have a mentor who will guide them in controlling their abilities. Let's go. You'll find yourself here soon enough anyway."  
  
They proceeded past the rooms, whose interiors could be seen thanks to the glass wall and door at the front of each room, and Shun'u took a glimpse although all happened to be unoccupied. Except for a few digital gadgets mounted on the wall, they looked like ordinary offices to him, or even more luxurious-chairs, tables, sofas, and even beds, which did nothing but heighten his curiosity. Shun'u made a mental note to check it out some time later; registration is now not even over yet. He nearly bumped into Shinran when she stopped abruptly.  
  
"We're here," Shinran spoke as she knocked the door, opening it when she saw her superior's nod of approval through the glass. "Hou-san, this is our second new ESPer today."  
  
Shun'u noted the "Student Affairs Office" plate on the door, as well as the person behind the desk who was rising to stand as he entered the room. Dressed in light blue, long sleeved shirt, maroon tie and dark grey office pants, this Hou-san looked like any ordinary middle-aged businessman. Although slightly on the overweight side and almost a head shorter than Shun'u, it was the authoritative yet warm aura he exuded that made Shun'u like him upon first impression.  
  
"Hello, you must be Shun'u. I'm Hou Jinnou," he smiled amiably as he extended his arm for a handshake, which Shun'u accepted with a short 'hi'. "Please to meet you. Come, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Shinran, thanks for bringing Shun'u here. I'll notify you later to collect his ESP data." He smiled at Shinran, who acknowledged with a slight smile- the only one Shun'u could remember since he first saw her at the counter.  
  
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the office," Shinran turned to take her leave.  
  
After the door closed behind her, Jinnou and Shun'u settled down opposite each other as the director continued, "Shinran has sent me your registration form. So you're presently in second year of Kaibu College? I heard the school's famous for its basketball team and musical band." He said as he glanced through the scribbled words. "Judging from your awards, I guess your team's doing well with you as captain of the basketball team."  
  
"Nah, no big deal... I juz give 'em some fu- uh... directions here an' there, dat's all," Shun'u commented, trying hard to mind his language. "Too much control is bad. Our onna team's cap'n f- controls too much. Don't think she can get a husband. Dat onna's too tall anyway...even taller than me."  
  
Jinnou gave a hearty laugh. "Well, I think you'll like our basketball team here. They're an interesting bunch."  
  
"So how'd da co-curricular activities go about here?" Shun'u asked, recalling Chamka mentioning about Konan Gakkou operating almost the same way as any non-ESPer school.  
  
"It's basically the same as those in your college," Jinnou replied. "I'll be giving you a set of instruction booklets later for your information. Right now, I need to know more about your ESP. You stated you were able to generate fire?"  
  
Shun'u nodded, keeping mum about the cause of the incident lest he got into more trouble. "Yeah, but not every time. Happens when I ain't expectin' it. An' I think I can only do it with my tessen." He took out the iron fan from his backpack.  
  
"I see, so that's your restriction," Jinnou remarked as he scrutinized the object. "You see, although we have ESP, there is also a limit to which ESPers can use their abilities. For you, I guess it's quite impossible for you to generate any flame without this fan."  
  
[[Dat Chamka didn't freakin' tell me about this. Din't wanna lemme know his weakness, eh? Dat showoff.I'll get him fer dat later]], Shun'u decided. "So Hou-san, are you an ESPer? I heard from Hon-san that non-ESPers also work here."  
  
[[So what do you think?]]  
  
Shun'u's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly heard another voice in his head. He looked at Jinnou, who grinned back and winked.  
  
"Holy shit! So dat's yer ability!" Shun'u exclaimed, all manners totally forgotten.  
  
"Yup, but I've also got my limits," Jinnou answered, undisturbed by Shun'u's lack of etiquette. "I can speak to other people, and even animals, through telepathy, but they can't speak back to me the same way. You should know Shinran's ability by now, right? She can only teleport objects to and fro within a certain distance. That's her ESP limitation. But right now it's still a question mark as to how many limitations there are, and how far an ESPer can push a limitation."  
  
"So dat means other than this tessen, I can't use anything ta fire?" Shun'u queried, a little disappointed with his limitation.  
  
"Yes, but you might have other abilities that you haven't discovered, so don't worry too much about it," Jinnou said, glancing at his watch. "Let's proceed with the registration. The earlier class should have ended. Hold on a moment." He said as he got up from his chair and proceeded to the adjacent room through another door within the office, returning with what looked like a metal earring clip and a stopwatch. "Come with me."  
  
Shun'u followed Jinnou outside to the grass area, where the latter requested that Shun'u clip the earring onto any part of his ear.  
  
"Wat's this?" Shun'u asked as he followed instructions.  
  
"What you're wearing is an ESP transmitter," Jinnou explained before holding up the stopwatch look-alike. "And this is the ESP analyzer. The transmitter consists of a chip that transmits information to the analyzer, which will then record your identity as an ESPer and the nature of your ability. After that, we'll input your information into the ESPer database. This analyzer can also analyze ESP activity in real time."  
  
Shun'u only muttered an 'oh' before Jinnou continued his short lecture. "While training in here, you'll have to put on the transmitter so that we can monitor the progress and stability of your ESP. Only after when your ESP is confirmed to be stabilized will you be allowed to train without it," Jinnou instructed. "Now I want you to try releasing your ESP using your tessen."  
  
"Okay, here goes," Shun'u held up the iron fan before quickly bringing it downwards in one swiping motion. "Hya!"  
  
No flame ignited.  
  
Shun'u flapped and swiped the fan in different directions hoping to find a way to bring on some fire, while a large sweatdrop slowly formed behind Jinnou's head.  
  
After a few more failed attempts, Jinnou finally spoke up, "That's enough, Shun'u. Don't worry, there're many new ESPers like you who can't stimulate their ESP the first time round. Now, I just want you to close your eyes and concentrate. Picture fire being generated from your fan in your head, and you must believe in your ability.  
  
Shun'u did as he was told, closing his eyes and trying to visualize how his former leader ignited the flame, and how he himself had previously ignited the fire. Slowly but surely, he could feel something stirring within him as if waiting to be released. He stood holding his fire, anticipating the climax. [[Now's the time!]] He opened his eyes.  
  
"REKKA......SHINEN!"  
  
With one large swing of the tessen, fire ignited from the tip and followed the path of the swinging action as the iron fan dragged it along, forming a flaming semi-circle.  
  
Shun'u sat panting slightly from over-exhausting his ESP, but the fanged grin on his face was more that enough to describe his excitement and satisfaction in producing the fire, and especially under circumstances where he EXPECTED to produce the flames. He looked up expectantly at Jinnou, "Heh, a little too much eh, Hou-san?"  
  
A slightly charred and singed-haired Jinnou smiled at the boy, giving him a thumbs-up sign while reading the analyzer. "Slightly overdone, but a good one. In fact, your ESP was more stable than I expected it to be. I won't be surprised if you're able to complete basic training faster than normal, young man."  
  
"Whoa, great! Can't wait ta get into fuc- real action soon! Yoshya!" Shun'u punched a fist victoriously into the air. "Wait till Kouji an' Chamka see my power! Ha!"  
  
"I've already instructed Shinran to process your registration," Jinnou said. "Come back next Monday, and report at the admin building at 9am sharp. We will inform Kaibu College about this but meanwhile, you're not allowed to use your ability as long as you're outside this place. I'm sure you know of this regulation."  
  
"Yes, sir. Too bad my buddy ain't able ta see it."  
  
"Well, if he pays you a visit, he'll be able to. Anyway, welcome aboard, my boy," Jinnou smiled paternally as he took back the transmitter that Shun'u returned. "You may go off now. Registration's complete and besides, I've got more visitors." He said as he waved towards the direction of his office where two of his students were waiting, themselves returning the wave.  
  
"Okay, think I'm goin' off then. Hou-san, thanks for the ESP lesson. Jaa ne," Shun'u excused himself as he waved to the two students as well, realizing that one of them was the violet-haired girl he had seen earlier at the administration building. Both students looked surprised for a moment, but smiled and waved back nevertheless. [[Today's a good day]], Shun'u thought as he dashed off to tell Kouji and Chamka about his findings, the door to the training centre closing behind him as he ran. 


	3. Perception 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fushigi Yuugi except for those characters that I've come up with myself.  
  
Beyond Perception: Perception 3  
  
"Nee Ryuuen, what if Hou-san doesn't allow us a day off tomorrow? It'll be such a pity if we can't get to go watch the wrestling tournament after winning the tickets...and what's more, it's the front row tickets AND a chance to see Gou Heisha in person backstage! Argh!" Gan Kairun lamented, grabbing his sand-colored hair in both hands with frustration.  
  
The boy called Ryuuen sighed deeply as he pushed some of his stray purple hair away from his face. "I dunno. I tried asking the counter officer in the admin building a while ago, and he rejected me outright. I'm placing my hopes with Hou-san now. I think there're two new ESPers today, so thought it'd be better to see Hou-san a little later." Ryuuen said as he recalled the earlier commotion between two particular redheads while he was trying to negotiate with the counter officer. "Let's hope he's done with them, and for us, cross our fingers." Ryuuen flashed his student pass at the training centre's door sensor before entering.  
  
"REKKA....SHINEN!"  
  
The voice caught both by surprise as they looked up just in time to see a semi-circular ring of fire created by a red-haired teenager, whom Ryuuen recognized as one of the two quarreling redheads earlier.  
  
"Phew, that was a huge one," Ryuuen whistled. "But guess he's not done yet, so we'll have to wait a little."  
  
"Well, I don't mind. I guess Hou-san's finishing up with him soon anyway," Kairun said as he folded his arms and leaned against one of the pillars of the building. "Say, Ryuuen...shall we bet whether the new guy'll get stricken with you? In any case, with that long hair of yours, you've already attracted quite a lot of male attention." He grinned mischievously.  
  
"Mou...Kairun, stop that. I'm perfectly straight, alright? It's just a personal preference, that's all," Ryuuen groaned.  
  
"Well, my friend. I can tell you that you're never gonna get a girlfriend...and I mean GIRLfriend...if you keep that hair."  
  
"Nah, I haven't really given it any thought at all. Right now, it's just studies and wrestling.nothing else," Ryuuen replied and waved at their student affairs director when he waved at them.  
  
"Aahh.your life's too boring," Kairun lamented. "At our age, now's the time to broaden our social circle.know more girls. For you, guys could do fine as well. Look.that new guy's hitting on you already." He joked as he noticed the redhead wave at them for no rhyme or reason, before waving back.  
  
A large sweatdrop formed next to Ryuuen's head as he smiled awkwardly and waved back as a form of courtesy. "Kairun, if you don't shut your mouth this instant you'll regret it for the rest of your life."  
  
"Hey, boys. I haven't seen you both in a while. Sorry for making you wait," Jinnou said apologetically as he approached them after the newbie turned to leave the training centre. "I see that Ryuuen's still keeping his hair." He joked.  
  
Ryuuen shot Kairun a death glare when he heard the latter snigger. "No problem, Hou-san. We've got time to spare anyway. Yeah, it's been a long time...actually, we're here to ask of you a favor," the violet-haired boy said as he scratched his head, a little embarrassed and guilty that they visited their sensei only when they needed a favor. He mentally berated himself, keeping in mind to visit out of goodwill the next time.  
  
"Haha...I kind of expected that you're here for some purpose," the director laughed good-heartedly as Ryuuen's face turned red. "Let's go back to the office. I still need to put back the equipment."  
  
The two students waited patiently for Jinnou before he finally settled back down in his seat in the office. "So what kind of a favor would that be? If it's within my means, I'll definitely try to help you."  
  
"Hou-san, we're actually wondering if you could let us have a day off tomorrow. There's a wrestling tournament taking place and it only happens once in four years, and we really would like to go. We've managed to win tickets to even meet some of the participants, and it's really a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity," Kairun rattled on, slightly over-excited and over- enthusiastic about viewing the tournament.  
  
Hou-san frowned a little. "Hmm... but what about school? You'll definitely be missing lessons, won't you?"  
  
"Kairun and I have lessons on only two subjects tomorrow, and there won't be any tests, so it shouldn't be too difficult for us to catch up with the subsequent lessons," Ryuuen chipped in, giving a more reasonable explanation than the one Kairun gave earlier.  
  
"I see. I won't be very worried about you, Ryuuen, since your grades have been quite good and consistent. But as for Kairun... I'm a little concerned about tomorrow's day-off affecting your studies." Jinnou deliberated, his thumb and index finger absently placed under his chin in deep consideration.  
  
"I'll definitely buck up this semester! If my grades are worse than last sem's, you can ground me then!" Kairun protested in desperation.  
  
Jinnou smiled amusedly as he calmed the flustered teenager. "Now, now, young man. I only said that I'm worried about your studies being affected, but I didn't say that you can't go."  
  
Ryuuen and Kairun broke into hopeful smiles. "So that means we can have the day off tomorrow?" They asked almost simultaneously.  
  
"Well, I can't really stop the both of you, can I? Even if I don't allow you to, you'll most likely end up playing truant," Jinnou sighed, resigned to the fact that he is facing two of his most stubborn students.  
  
"Yes! Thank you so much, Hou-san!" Ryuuen smiled gratefully at Jinnou. He could have hugged the director with joy, but thought the better of it lest his ability suffocates the poor man, and that probably might change his mind about giving them the day off. Ryuuen chose to simply shake hands with Jinnou, taking care not to exert too much strength.  
  
"You're the best, Hou-san! Arigatou! Arigatou! Arigatou!" Kairun took Jinnou's hand from Ryuuen, and with both of his own shook it with fervor as he spoke.  
  
Jinnou, although a little taken aback by the two's over-enthusiastic behavior, he envied the young boys' energy and vigor. "I'll give you a day off tomorrow, but you've to promise me you'll make sure your grades won't suffer because of it. I might get into trouble as well, you know?" He warned good-naturedly.  
  
"You can take our word for it," Ryuuen assured, softly nudging Kairun, who nodded fervently and silently praying that he could get at least a pass for all his subjects in the current semester.  
  
"Well, it's settled then. I'll inform your tutors of your absence tomorrow. Is there anything else? If not, you may be dismissed."  
  
"Anou, Hou-san, are you free now? I mean...It's been a while since I've had a chat with you, so this is kind of a good opportunity to catch up with each other...No, don't get it wrong! I don't mean I want to chat because I asked you a favor! I...gahhh...!!" Ryuuen struggled to find the right words to say, but failed miserably. A small part of him did it out of guilt, but Ryuuen genuinely wanted to know how his ex-mentor, ever since the latter had been promoted, had been doing.  
  
Jinnou smiled softly as he saw the violet-haired teenager stuttering. Of the many students whom he taught, Ryuuen was one of the brightest and most sensible, and perhaps the most unique student he ever had taken under his wing. "I've got plenty of time, my boy. In any case, I'd want to know how MY student is doing all this time. I've heard lots of good things about you."  
  
Ryuuen blushed a bright red. Kairun also got the hint and excused himself. "Hou-san, I think I'll go off now. Once again, thanks so much for tomorrow. Ryuuen, I'll check with you later as to where and when to meet tomorrow, kay? Jaa ne, Hou-san!"  
  
After Kairun had left the office, Jinnou spoke up, "So, I heard that you've won the inter-state wrestling championship the second time in a row. As expected from one of my best students," He joked.  
  
Ryuuen smiled sheepishly at the compliment. "Well, that was a tough one. There were many others who were quite strong as well. One of the participants was manipulating his own weight, so you could imagine how hard it was to defeat him when he weighed like an elephant! But I managed to win that round somehow." Ryuuen smirked as he recalled his victory.  
  
Jinnou looked at the boy and commented, "I was wondering... why haven't you cut your ponytail? It's been so long ago. If you don't mind telling me..."  
  
Ryuuen paused a little in hesitation before answering, "Guess I still haven't really come to terms over Kourin's death completely. Perhaps this hair can still sort of remind me of her, although thanks to you, I've already accepted that I can't act like her forever," he smiled sadly, but not long before he brightened up a little, giving a wink as he joked, "At least I've done away with the make-up and attire."  
  
Jinnou laughed. "That was a good thing. Even I initially thought you were a girl, until I saw your ID state clearly that your gender was male, and that made me wonder whether the admin department had made a mistake. But it's really good to know that you're starting to behave like a boy. I'm glad for you."  
  
"Argh, Hou-san, I AM already behaving like a boy. Look at my clothes...they're clearly a guy's. And my face is clean of cosmetics!" Ryuuen protested, before calming down a little and reflecting. "But really, if it weren't for you, I think I would still have remained in Kourin's shadow."  
  
Jinnou gazed empathetically at Ryuuen. The boy had indeed grown a lot. Clad in a buttoned down light brown shirt, its long sleeves rolled up to his elbow, coupled with loose black jeans and sports shoes, Ryuuen would have looked like any typical teenage boy, save for his long hair. And the smile that he almost always wears on his face would make anybody find it hard to believe that beneath this image and smile lies a sad history that only Jinnou and a few other close ones know.  
  
"Do you still blame yourself for her death?" Jinnou inquired. "I've told you before, you're not to blame, you know?"  
  
"If I had been fast enough...if I had known she was following me...to get the ball...she wouldn't have been run over by that car. What's my ESP for if I couldn't at least stop the car to know who killed my sister? I'd rather give up my ESP to have Kourin back. Or at least know who was that bastard behind the wheel." Ryuuen spat, before realizing that he had stood up from his seat, his anger getting the better of him.  
  
Ryuuen heaved a long sigh before settling back down and continued, "Sorry...I'd be lying if I said I'd stopped blaming myself. If I had, I would have cut this long ago." he twirled his long plaited hair.  
  
"As the saying goes, 'Time heals all wounds'. I'm sure you'll be able to forgive yourself in time to come. You've already been able to stop acting like your sister, haven't you?" Jinnou reassured.  
  
"That was thanks to your counseling, Hou-san," Ryuuen insisted. "Anyway, I've sort of put the past behind me. Let's talk about you instead. I'd been wondering how you were able to get promoted to such high position in such short time, and also."  
  
[[Ryuuen, my boy. You didn't realize that it was you alone who achieved what you've achieved today. Your own strong will has made it possible. I wish you all the best]], Jinnou thought as he listened to Ryuuen prattling on about his occupation. He silently prayed to the gods above to bless this boy whom he had come to regard as the son whom he never had.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
//Ladies and Gentlemen, the National Wrestling Championships will commence in 15 minutes. Please proceed to your respective spectator seats while waiting for the event to begin..Ladies and Gentlement.//  
  
"Phew! We finally made it here in time, haven't we?" Kairun grinned as he gave a thumbs-up sign.  
  
Ryuuen panted as he struggled to catch his breath. "Count yourself...lucky....If we're late...kill you..."  
  
"Awww, C'mon Ryuuen. If not for the fact that I was trying hard to maintain my grades, I wouldn't have stayed up the whole night doing my homework and overslept the next day." Kairun lamented.  
  
"That was last week's homework! And you were copying mine! So much for trying to maintain your grades," Ryuuen mumbled, slightly annoyed by his neighboring roommate's tardiness.  
  
Kairun dismissed it lightly. "Nah...If I could, I would have done it faster and saved you so much trouble. Too bad I could only create the school pad or exercise book without the contents."  
  
"I'm glad your ability ends there. Thanks to you, I've got all kinds of junk and pink elephants sitting in my room right now as we speak," Ryuuen complained, indicating the various kinds of display items that Kairun has drawn and created to real life, claiming they were masterpiece gifts to Ryuuen in exchange for his help.  
  
"Hmm...or would you prefer animals? I can't draw too large things, but birds and fishes can do," Kairun suggested.  
  
Ryuuen shuddered when he remembered his friend drawing a frog out of boredom during class, which later manifested into a real-life frog that jumped around the whole classroom causing chaos amongst the students. "Gee, no thanks," he rejected the offer, trying to change the subject. "I think we'd better look for our seats first, in case we can't find them when the event starts."  
  
"Yeah, let's go! I can't wait to see Gou Heisha!"  
  
As expected, the tickets were a total sell-out, and consequently, the spectator seats within the stadium registered a full-house as people from all walks of life and from all areas of the country gathered with a common hobby-wrestling, and unanimous purpose-the National Wrestling Championships. As the last latecomers streamed in, the lights started dimming to a minimum, leaving the stage in the centre the only area basking in the bright spotlights.  
  
Whispers and murmurs evolved into loud cheers and cat whistles as the commentator declared the opening of the competition, and the audience cheered for their individual idols as they competed in the ring. Ryuuen and Kairun rooted for Gou Heisha as they saw him brisk through the selection round, and later the quarter-finals and semi-finals, to end up as one of the two finalists.  
  
Ryuuen had always been a fan of Gou Heisha, a Kutou-jin who had belted several wrestling awards in the ESPer category, including those from the last championships. Gou Heisha, like Ryuuen himself, was an ESPer, his ability being able to transform into half-man, half-wolf. Of course, with the transformation, Gou was able to acquire the sharp instincts and agility of the animal that he partially changed into, an asset that he could put to use in the ring. Ryuuen watched in awe at the final round of competition that was taking place on the wrestling ring, the victory seeming to lean more towards his idol's side as he cheered on.  
  
At half time, both final round participants sat down heavily on opposite sides, worn out from the fight. Gou Heisha sat panting with slight exhaustion, beads of perspiration peppering all over his tall body and face. His opponent was just as tired, if not, in an even worse shape than Heisha, as seen from the bruises on his body that were inflicted from the fight. Although equipped with an ESP that allows his body to increase muscle mass for extending more forceful punches and kicks, he did not have the agility that Gou had for defense.  
  
Heisha re-tied his long gray mane into a neater ponytail before standing back up as the bell rang once again, signaling the resumption of the competition. Heisha's opponent was clearly on the losing end as he tried in vain to pull off any punches. Heisha, on the other hand, was still as agile in any round, skillfully dodging his opponent's attacks and returning his own. The second half of the final round did not take as long as the first, which soon ended as Heisha lifted up his dazed challenger in the air for a few seconds, and with a howl, threw him smack down on the ground, knocking him flat out.  
  
As the trophy was awarded to him, Heisha raised it high in the air for all to see, earning louder cheers and whistles from the audience. He stood standing in the ring for a further few minutes before stepping off to proceed to the backstage, stopping at certain times to turn and bid farewell to those who supported him.  
  
"He's going off! Ryuuen, let's go," Kairun said as he pulled his friend's arm, the sudden movement jerking Ryuuen off his seat.  
  
"Hey, slow down! It's not as if he's gonna disappear anywhere soon. Besides, there're also other people who've won tickets to the backstage, so if Gou Heisha DOES disappear, there's bound to be complaints," Ryuuen reasoned, although he himself was just as excited as Kairun was, who was dragging him amongst the crowd towards the entrance to the backstage.  
  
After showing the letter proving their permitted entrance to several burly men whom Ryuuen presumed to be bodyguards, both teenagers hurried in to look for their idol. Gou Heisha's room was not difficult to locate, since each participant's name was put up clearly on each door, and in alphabetical order, to indicate the respective participant's room. It was obvious who Ryuuen and Kairun were looking for, as they stood outside the room whose door label stated 'Gou Heisha', pausing to take a few deep breaths and entered the room, but not without first knocking politely.  
  
The room was not very large, save for a few gym equipment situated at the side, and a mirror on the opposite wall. At the end of the room where the few couches and bench stands were, the teenagers spotted Gou Heisha chatting with a few other people whom they reckoned to be other backstage ticket winners like them. As both of them approached the group, Heisha laughed heartily at a comment that somebody made as he took a few more gulps of what looked like a glucose supplement beverage from his glass. Ryuuen and Kairun knew their presence was acknowledged when Heisha looked up from the group in their direction.  
  
"You've also won tickets to the backstage I suppose?" Heisha smiled broadly as he stood up from his seat, extending out a large hand to Ryuuen. "You are...?"  
  
Ryuuen and Kairun gulped as Heisha stood up from his sitting position to show the full extent of his height. Although they knew about his 230m-tall stature from the magazines, as well as through the obvious height difference between him and his opponents during matches, the true degree of such altitude could never be clearer than when standing just next to Gou Heisha himself.  
  
"Ryu...Ryuuen," Ryuuen could only utter his name as he took Heisha's hand and shook it, still dumbfounded and feeling smaller and dwarfish than ever before as he stood two to three heads shorter than the giant Kutou-jin.  
  
"And you...?" Heisha turned to Kairun.  
  
"I...I'm Kairun. Pleased to meet you, Gou-san," Kairun shook Heisha's hand, soon forgetting his nervousness as he rattled on, "I've always been a fan of yours. Ryuuen too! We came all the way from Konan just to see your match. We're so happy that you've won!"  
  
Heisha gave another hearty laugh. "I'm very pleased to meet you too, and honored as well to know that some of you actually came from other states just to watch my matches...not just from Konan, but also from Sairou and Hokkan. I really thank you all for your time and effort."  
  
"Oh no, please don't mention it, Gou-san. We are the ones who are fortunate to be able to meet you in person," Ryuuen finally spoke up.  
  
"Yeah, I really like your wrestling techniques, especially the one where you hold the opponent's hands to the back and tackle his legs," chipped in another fan.  
  
"How did you train for your matches? I sure do hope I can get those kind of muscles..." piped up another.  
  
The more Ryuuen chatted with Heisha, the greater the boy's admiration and respect for the professional wrestler. Despite his massive physique, Heisha had a friendly disposition which made him likeable upon first impression, and when tickled, has no qualms about holding back his laughter. Although granted only one hour of interaction with the celebrity, Ryuuen thoroughly enjoyed himself as he listened to Heisha's experiences in being a wrestler, and learnt some wrestling techniques from the man. He would have hoped to have more time to get to know his idol better, but as he and Kairun bid Heisha farewell, he knew that this single brief meeting had strengthened his resolution to be one of the world's top wrestlers.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"Seems like we haven't missed much for yesterday's lessons," Ryuuen commented as he strode casually back to his hostel room.  
  
"Yeah, as if. I couldn't follow what Chu-sensei said about amines and phenylamines," Kairun lamented as he dragged his feet while walking alongside Ryuuen, both hands holding onto the straps of his backpack. "Chemistry's getting boring."  
  
"Well, if you had been more attentive in class and quit doodling pictures in your textbook, you would have found Chemistry more interesting," Ryuuen chided. "And I don't think you'd want to be grounded next sem by Hou-san, do you?"  
  
Kairun shuddered at the thought of having to stay back in class every day for additional tutoring. "Of course not. But if only all subjects were like Art class, it would have been much more fun, and I could have easily scored straight A's. Or probably if my ESP was something like yours, I wouldn't have had drawn so much and not paid attention in class. If only I had an ability that I could use in wrestling, then I could have hopes of being a pro wrestler. If only I were you, minus the appearance," He sighed. "Anyway, your lover's here."  
  
Ryuuen was ready to hammer Kairun for the appearance insult when he noticed the lone figure strolling down the hostel corridor. With complexion as smooth as porcelain, and well-defined facial features complete with compelling almond-brown eyes, Seishuku Saihitei was regarded by many as the epitome of beauty that neither man nor woman could rival. His silky, chestnut-brown hair reaching past his waist that was usually tied into a loose ponytail was all the more sought after by hair-advertising agencies. The dark grey business suit that he wore belied the youth of his appearance, making him look more matured than his present eighteen years of age.  
  
"Yo, Saihitei! Going back to your office?" Kairun called out towards the end of the corridor from where Saihitei was approaching, eyes fixated onto the diary that he held open in his hands.  
  
Ryuuen's face turned scarlet when Saihitei looked up in their direction and waved. The violet-haired boy had no reason NOT to blush, especially when he, during those days when he was dressed and behaving as Kourin, had actually tried to hit on the popular Adonis in his class. Whether or not Saihitei had realized it, Ryuuen did not, and would not want to know, having avoided his classmate ever since he reverted back to his male identity.  
  
"Hi Kairun, and you too, Ryuuen. Yup, I've got a meeting later on, so I've got to rush back to the office. Haven't spoken much to you both in class. Guess I was too busy shuffling between work and school," Saihitei smiled apologetically. "So how have you been?"  
  
[[Act normal, you baka. What's in the past is over, so be yourself!]] Ryuuen mentally berated himself, trying to focus on the conversation. "Quite okay, I guess. At least we don't have anymore drawn-out frogs or toads hopping around in class," he looked at Kairun, who muttered something about drawing hamsters the next time round, earning a soft laugh from Saihitei. "Apart from that, nothing much eventful I suppose. How's your work getting along? It seems quite tough on you, being the president of your company at this age."  
  
Saihitei sighed. It was not a choice of his to undertake such high position, but rather, an obligation to fulfill as he was the rightful heir to his father's business, which happened to be one of the major shareholders in TESPO and main support to the Konan ESPer Institution. And ever since his father passed away when he was still a child, his burden only became heavier as he spent all his time learning the operations of the company, leaving little time for play. "A little tiring, but guess I'll get by. I'm already used to it anyway."  
  
"Aahhh, how nice if I could have the same privilege as you in getting in and out of school as I please," Kairun bemoaned. "Then I could have taken day-offs without the fear of getting grounded."  
  
"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be in my shoes," Saihitei said. "Besides, when I get out of school, it's always on business."  
  
Ryuuen agreed. "Yeah, if you really had that privilege, I wouldn't be seeing you in class anymore 'cause you'd be practically having a day off every day. Anyway, we need our Seishuku-san to see to it that Konan Institution doesn't collapse, ne?" he joked and unconsciously placed a hand on his hip, a die-hard habit that he was unable to kick off.  
  
"Oh, I didn't know you'd miss me that much if I weren't in class," Kairun placed a hand on his cheek, pretending to be flattered. "But too bad, Ryuuen. I'm not interested in guys. I'm afraid you'll have to look for someone else."  
  
Saihitei laughed lightly as he checked his watch while Ryuuen attempted to strangle Kairun. "Well, guess I'd better be going off for work now, otherwise Konan Institution MIGHT really collapse. It's really nice talking to you both. See you around." He bid them farewell before walking away briskly, realizing how little he knew about his classmates, how interesting some of them could be, and how often he had not smiled in ages.  
  
"Nee, Kairun. Saihitei's not as aloof as we thought him to be, don't you think?" Ryuuen spoke up as Saihitei walked away and out of earshot, relieved that the conversation was not as tense and awkward as he had initially thought. "He seems quite a nice guy."  
  
"Ahh...our Ryuuen's falling in love all over with his old flame," Kairun drawled. "How romantic."  
  
Ryuuen need not say anything, for he sent Kairun flying to the nearest wall.  
  
Kimirei's Comments:  
  
Okay, hope you're all not confused as to why the heck Tomite's in Konan or why on earth Nuriko and Ashitare (if you still haven't figured it out) are on such good terms. Probably because I come from a country with 4 main races inter-mingling all over the country, I thought it might be more logical this way since it's based somewhat on a modern setting where anywhere is accessible to everywhere. Moreover, I've shrunk the FY world into a single country with 4 states, which justifies this point further. But this doesn't mean there aren't any other countries outside this. I might want to include them in future...or maybe not...  
  
As to why some characters are alive when they're supposed to be dead (Tomite), or why some old folks become youthful again (Tokaki), well...It just feels nicer that way. But for the time being, the story will be focused on three main characters. I've given you the first two. The third character will be revealed in the next chapter. 


End file.
